


The Exchange

by MsMoon



Series: Conventional Sins [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, College, Convention Panels, F/F, F/M, Flarpy Blunderguff, Gen, I am the original Sin, M/M, Sndication, Televsion, University, Writing, alternate universe - television show, so meta it hurts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-05
Updated: 2016-04-05
Packaged: 2018-05-31 01:23:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6449872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsMoon/pseuds/MsMoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cynthia Hummel is freshly graduated from college, working in an under appreciated position in a job she loathes, and looking after her ailing mother... But they have something to enjoy and look forward to, and that's the popular TV show, the Exchange. Cynthia would describe herself as a picky fan, but there are many areas of the show (and her life) that could use significant improvement.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Exchange

**Author's Note:**

> I keep gabbing with my friends about this tie-in idea that I've got. Essentially set in Crystal Hawke's AU Universe, and I think...I think I may be ready to lay down some exposition :3

_“Our heritage and ideals, our code and standards - the things we live by and teach our children - are preserved or diminished by how freely we exchange ideas and feelings.”_

~Walt Disney

 

~*~

* * *

 

~*~

 

The enormous room bustled with barely contained excitement.

 

It’s much, _much_ bigger than last year. Last year was a Gathering of the Gargoyles, room at the back of the hall in the basement, Night at the Museum sort of event.

 

This year. This year is Avengers Assemble, Lok’tar Ogar, Hall H at Comic Con, Carry on my Wayward Son. BIG.

 

The show’s fan base had grown by leaps and bounds. Now, the networks were paying attention, and funding and marketing for _The Exchange_ was booming.

 

“Do you think we’ll catch Zevran’s shirt?” The excited whisper came from the gaggle of girls that had infested this row of seats.

 

“As long as he takes it off again, I don’t really care!” one of her friends squealed back.

 

“We’re in the fifth row, Lacy. It could happen!”

 

Ah. Excitable Fangirls. They were invaluable to every fan base. Still… close proximity to them when they were at their peak was never a desirable scenario. It wasn’t to say that rabid fangrils didn’t care about the nuances of the show…but when in a majority, they were rarely ever interpreted as anything but salivating sex fiends here for the eye-candy.

 

Cynthia Hummel had been a reluctant fan in the beginning…to be perfectly candid, she’d only started watching the show for two reasons. One was to follow Leliana’s career.

 

The woman was an artist. Cynthia had all of her albums along with three of her live performances on blue ray. She’d been so anxious to see Leliana act. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Leliana had gotten Cynthia through college.

 

As for the rest of the ‘talent’…

 

She’d been vaguely aware of Bonnie Cousland’s rising star. The woman was, in a manner, cinematic royalty. She seemed to keep herself off the radar, choosing to do deep or indy films. Cynthia hadn’t seen her in anything other than her role as Sophia Dryden in _Soldier’s Peak_ before this… It was low budget as hell, but a hella good movie. Interesting spin on corruption even among righteous rebels. Talk about showing off her range, too. She’d played young Sophie, Warden Sophia, _and_ ‘the Dryden’ which was Demon!Sophia…at least in Cynthia’s mind.

 

She’d also been excited to see Loghain MacTir in something so current. The man had been prevalent in film classics… In fact, MacTir had stared alongside Bryce Cousland in _Qarinus_. A classic about a jaded Fereldan night-club owner caught in Qarinus between Imperial forces and a lost love. MacTir had been Rick, the night-club owner who never stuck his neck out for nobody, and Cousland had played the slightly scrupulous but still charming Captain Renault. Talk about the beginning of a beautiful friendship. The two actors had been in their prime for that, and even a black-and-white film couldn’t take away from their talent. The fact that he was playing a sort of rival-esque, faux antagonist was a treat as well.

 

She hadn’t heard anything about Alistair or Zevran until she’d begun watching this show. In fact after watching the first episode (and having Noah Tabris take her breath away—yes, even she saw the appeal of eye-candy), she’d wondered if all the male leads in this show were underwear models before this.

 

There had been audible heartbreak when the show turned out to be such a cheese factory.

 

The thing that rankled was that the concept had sounded so promising. Antiva University, opening it’s borders and doors to international scholarship, so that everyone may share culture and grow. A great way to showcase cultures and buck all the stereotypes….except that the execution fell drastically short, and they did the opposite thing..

 

Everything about the show in its infancy was establishing ridiculous stereotypes. The prudish (sheltered) Fereldens, the laissez faire (opulent) Orlesian, the oblivious (horny) Antivian, the belligerent (always drunk) dwarf, and the Qunari who couldn’t understand any culture except his own.

 

So flat.

 

So passé.

 

Conditions didn’t show any signs of improvement till a little over halfway through season 1.

 

Everyone else said that the real turn-about came in season 2, but CynthiaCynthia respectfully disagreed. She had been paying keen attention. For her, it was always be episode 9. She was the first to herald the shows changing dynamic, and anyone who said otherwise _obviously_ hadn’t been keeping up with her vlog.

 

Then, Season 2 rolled around.

 

All of it boiled down to the writers listening to the fanbase, which was what made this all so epic.

 

If you stuck it out, you got teasing of what promised to be a much better show. As it turned out, the writers _were_ bucking stereotypes and showing off cultural range, but in order to do that they had to showcase all the stereotypes that would need to be unhinged.

 

It made sense, right? Stereotypes _do_ persist for a reason. Fereldans have bad food, Orelsians are caught up in frippery, and Antivians…. Antivians, though. But it wasn’t _all_ that there was.

 

Over the course of season 2 characters had tapped into their potential and begun to grow. They finally gave Geneviève a purpose (other than the pretty, pretty sex object). It was about time they gave Leliana something to do (other than look pretty, giggle, and sing, that is).

 

Antonio had a heart-breaking backstory now instead of just being a randy fuckboy. Zevran could finally sink his teeth into some much needed, ever-grounding angst.

 

Uther was hiding something about his past that involved _serious_ daddy issues. Not that Alistair had ever been known for moving cinema before, but he showed significant potential when coaxed into improving over time.

 

Alice’s struggle for perfection was beginning to break. her. That wasn’t odd. Bonnianne Cousland was made to unhinge a character and remake her in a reforged image.

 

Oh, and Eirian was finally going to be more than just ‘the brainy all-knowing mage’ chick. Cynthia shipped Surana and Zevran’s characters so hard core. Hell, she didn’t have to ship them, those little fuckers shipped themselves. Aside from Alistair and Bonnianne, it was safe to say that Edith Surana’s Eirian was the ony character Zevran’s Antonio had not slept with….and he treated her like she was precious. That had to mean something.

 

Noah Tabris’s character Pierce was slowly working his way out of the background. Hell, season one and two had come and gone, and no one could figure out exactly what his purpose in the show was… maybe to look pretty, but the male version. His only identifiable feature was that he was there to be a pretty elf boy that wasn't randy as hell. That was it.

 

Cynthia pegged his character to start taking advice from Sefu Sten’s character. They’d been seen alone in the background together… not necessarily having heart-to-heart’s because Sten’s no-nonsense head of security Orenstein didn’t _do_ that sort of thing. But she wouldn’t be surprised if Tabris’s character took an interest in criminology….at least, that’s what was happening in _her_ fan fic.

 

And as much of a hard ass as Glockner pretended to be, he still had the best interest of his students at heart… Often times, his efforts seemed to center around ‘motivating’ the Fereldan students to pursue club activities that would actually help them in the world.

 

… but there was still so much to _do_.

 

The lights began to dim, and a young man jogged out on stage to take his place as announcer behind the podium.

 

It was time!


End file.
